What we’re about
We're a community that practices and discusses philosophy, being free and open to all levels and backgrounds. We offer seminars, a variety of discussion formats, and the occasional lecture / guest speaker.
Many meetings will have fewer RSVPs than people who actually attend. This is because overtime people stop making use of Meetup.com and instead communicate with their groups via Discord, Slack, Zoom, E-mail, or similar You can think of the list of events hosted on this Meetup as advertisements for groups seeking new participants.
Our philosophy offerings are organized and facilitated by volunteers. If you have a philosophy offering - or an offering that compliments the study of philosophy, such as in literature, the sciences, and so on - that you'd like to advertise through this Meetup, please contact the organizer. We're grateful to those who want to enrich Portland with study and discussion!
Participants must speak, write, and act in a considerate, professional, and respectful manner, and be prepared for the meetings that they attend, having reviewed the materials to the degree necessary to participate. If you haven't reviewed the materials but still wish to attend an event, please consult the event facilitator regarding the best manner for you to be present.
We look forward to studying philosophy together!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Bataille's Inner Experience: Dramatization and TormentLink visible for attendees
Continuing with Bataille's text Inner Experience from the early 40s. This session we'll finish up several concepts from Part I, such as dramatization, authority and Bataille's critique of Hinduism. Then we'll move on to Part II, the central part of the book. Please read this section:
**PART TWO: The Torment **(pp. 31-62)
*** Note: Concurrently we're reading Bataille's novel Blue of Noon. Please read it individually over the next several weeks, then we'll meet for a discussion (TBA). ***
You can find all texts in the Google folder linked at the BOTTOM of this description -- scroll all the way down (also for Zoom link) 👇
Please take the time to read and reflect on the readings prior to the meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend, but speaking priority will be given to people who have read the text.
Tentative schedule
May 3: Bataille's atheological mysticism: Inner Experience
May 10: Bataille's Inner Experience: Dramatization and Torment
May 17: Inner Experience (cont'd)
May 24: Bataille and Deleuze on the ethics of askesis (Sholtz)Future topics:
- Bataille's aesthetics: the rift with Surrealism
- Blue of Noon
- Erotics and the 'logic' of transgression
- Bataille and/vs Deleuze
- Foucault's "A Preface to Transgression"
- Hegel, the negative and general economy
- Derrida's "From Restricted to General Economy"
***
ABOUT THIS GROUP
This is a reading group of several texts of Georges Bataille with a focus on his philosophy of life. Bataille stands out as an eclectic, fascinating and controversial figure in the world of French letters. A contemporary of Sartre and Lacan, he combined ideas from diverse disciplines to create a unique position that he labeled 'base materialism' and which could equally be called 'ecstatic materialism'. Keeping outside the academic mainstream (he worked as a librarian), Bataille writes at the intersection of multiple disciplines including philosophy, psychoanalysis, sociology, mythology, and mystical theology. His works develop a libidinal economy, offer a critique of fascism and embrace marginal experiences in the style of the French poets. He is a formative precursor to the post-structuralist philosophers of the '60s -- and may well be more relevant in our time than ever.We'll start with Bataille's early writings on Nietzsche and make our way through his important concepts over a number of weeks. We'll aim to understand Bataille's thought on its own terms as well as to place him in the context of the German thinkers that preceded him and the French philosophers who followed his lead. In view of Bataille's early relationship with Surrealism, the referenced artworks will spotlight this movement.
Note: Bataille's texts, while philosophically important, discuss difficult themes such as mortality, the unconscious, eroticism, sacrifice, primeval social practices, etc. Approach him with discretion, especially if this is your first experience with French philosophy.
***
GROUP RULES
- Please spend 1-2 hours per week reading and preparing for the discussion.
- Keep your comments concise and relevant to the text.
- Please limit each comment to a maximum of 2-3 minutes. You're welcome to speak as many times as you wish.
- Virtual meeting courtesy: let's not interrupt each other and keep mics muted when not speaking.
- We'll focus the discussion with key passages and discussion questions. Be sure to bring your favorite passages, questions, comments, criticisms, etc.
***
A FEW NOTES ON THIS WEEK'S TEXT
TBA
***
Join the Facebook group for more resources and discussion:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/755460079505498
If you have attended previous meetings, please fill out a brief survey at this link: https://forms.gle/tEMJ4tw2yVgnTsQD6All readings can be found in this Google folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VPRdvZYmUKBY3cSxD8xC8sTYtSEKBXDs
Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81251109319?pwd=R3hVQ2RqcVBvaHJwYnoxMFJ5OXJldz09Art: Untitled - Maid, Zdzisław Beksiński
